My 1930 Model A

Welcome to the hobby and you got an absolutely beautiful car there. I don't know how informed you are about Model a's but here is what I see:

1) Great Car for starters
2) Double check the goose neck where the water comes out of the block-it may be a 29.
3) You may want to check the fan VERY carefully if not replace it with a brand new aluminum one from Snyders. The older fans have a tendency to come apart and leave holes in things like the radiator, hood and or your head.

Again Welcome,

Mike
 
Thanks Mike. What do I need to check for on the gooseneck? Looking at the engine number and the MAFCA it seemed as though it was built in June of 1930. But I could be completely off. What should I be checking on the fan? I'm not well versed in model a's. But am looking forward to learning everything I can. Thanks again.
 
The water outlet is shorter on the 1928-9 than the 1930-1 Model A, so the top hose would be a bit longer to reach. The top hose does look a bit longer than stock, and that also had me wondering.

Back in reply #8 I can see your daughter is already enjoying "her" new car.:D
I'm wondering what those two knobs are forward from her hand and along the window?
 
The two "knobs" are actually just the screws that hold the trim on. The trim was in the back seat. Are the waternecks interchanable? It looks like he just got bulk radiator hose and just may have put the whole piece on so he didn't have to cut it. I can always remove it and check.
 
The fans will get small little cracks at the base which develop due to vibration. Usually it is the two blade fan that comes apart but I have seen pics of 4 blade truck fans coming apart. Inspect it and if you don't see any cracks great but just be careful and don't line yourself up in the line fire so to speak. Or just replace it with a new one.

Mike
 
Tom and Mike,

I removed the upper hose and checked the length of the water neck. I measured it based on the like that Tom posted and it measures right at 5 3/8".
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Looks like a 28-29 to me. I am at work so cannot measure the one on my car. No big deal to replace, make sure you have a flat clean surface and torque evenly as the ears can crack. I used a piece of grocery bag for a gasket if I remember correctly. It will work as is, I was just pointing it out so that when you get a chance if you want you can replace that is all.

Mike
 
Today has been productive, and slightly frustrating. Went and picked up a battery last night. Getting it installed required a longer ground strap since the posts are on opposite sides of the top.

I believe that Mike is correct in that the water neck is for a 28-29. Cutting the radiator hose to the correct length for a 30 made it too short for my car.

I pulled the plugs and the tops of the Pistons looked nice and clean. Poured some mystery oil in each cylinder and let that soak. When I pulled the oil plug it did have oil in it. It was surprisingly still pretty clear too. Refilled the oil. I was able to turn the engine over by hand easily. Tried to bump the starter and it didn't engage the flywheel. So that came off. Sprayed it down with some WD40 to clean off the grime and got the gear moving freely. Wiped it down and coated the shaft with a very light coating of the mystery oil to keep it clean. Re-installed and it's not engaging the engine.

Re-installed the spark plugs and had my daughter help me bump the starter again while I checked to make sure the distributor was producing a spark for all four cylinders.


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Congratulations! At least she fired up for a few seconds. Son you will have her running for hours on end.

Mike
 
It's been since 1976-1977 since she last ran. I've got to clean out the fuel tank so I have a remote tank rigged up. It's hard to hold that and start the car by myself. But she's running as long as she's got gas. Now let's get the lights and other electrical straightened out.


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Here's a little bit longer video. RPM's are high. It struggles a little at lower RPMs. Didn't leave it running too long since it doesn't have the proper coolant.

The monks are still in Nepal letting the glaciers thaw before distilling it for me. Might be a little while. Haha.



URL]https://vimeo.com/161561895[/URL]


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Suggest you remove that air filter and try her again. Those filters often contribute to poor engine behaviors such as you're reporting. These cars came from the factory without an air filter in an era when there was a lot more debris on the "roads".

Most of us don't use an air filter for various reasons, especially that style. It can soak up gasoline that drips out of the carb. Kinda like driving around with a fire waiting to happen.

I noticed that you mentioned the need for "proper coolant." Plain water will work fine as long as air temps are above freezing....otherwise the usual 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water will do the trick.

Have fun with your A - it looks really nice!
 
So looking through searches, pictures, and other sites I have to ask....

How many wires should be connected to the starter? From what I can tell it's just one that goes to the junction block on the firewall. Then a wire goes from there to the generator. Correct??

For some reason mine has two. One goes to the junction block. The second goes up by the generator.


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